The Art of Selling Yourself Short
I’ve done a lot in my life. I’ve worked in a variety of industries. I went to graduate school and received a master’s degree. I started a business and organized a bunch of community events. I also took aerial classes for three years and was invited to show my mixed-media artwork at galleries.
I am not trying to brag. I am curious if you can see what’s wrong with my statement above.
All I did above was talk about the things I’ve done. I didn’t name any achievements, I simply described how busy I was. I didn’t say what was motivating me, I merely came off like I was just going through the motions.
Are you making the same mistake when you talk about your work? Whether it’s in your resumé or cover letter, your elevator speech, or just your journal, how we talk about ourselves matters. Your friends, colleagues, and potential employers can all pick up on your attitude toward yourself, better than you might think.
Let’s examine some of the verbs I used above:
Done
Went
Received
Started
They are all passive in tone, and they don’t communicate the milestones or the end results, let alone how I felt about what I was working on. They merely describe what I did, rather than what I accomplished.
